‘The Ecstasy of Victoria Woodhull’ – History Served with Fun

By Ernest Kearney Victoria Woodhull filled many roles: activist for the sexual liberation of women, a spiritualist con-artist and the first woman to run for President.


In her one-woman show based on Woodhull, Ashley Ford manages to succeed in capturing the many facets of this fascinating woman. Working from a script by Theo Salter, Ford begins by spinning about the stage tinkling a bell to cleanse the space of spirits before she sets about summoning and channeling the ghost of Woodhull with the occasional interruption from other great “dead American” figures.


Ford goes whirling about the stage in a trance and sliding in and out of Woodhull’s history, relating her troubled childhood, her relationship with that capitalist of all capitalists Cornelius Vanderbilt, her feud with the great clergyman Henry Ward Beecher and her campaign to “end the bondage of marriage.”


The show, directed by Sean Harris, achieves that wondrous union of imparting historical fact while being totally entertaining. What more could you ask for.


A GOLD MEDAL

Fringe Award-Gold Medal-The TVolution

‘The Ecstasy of Victoria Woodhull’


Is playing at the Hollywood Fringe Festival 2022

Hollywood Fringe Festival 2022

AT

Howard Fine Acting Studio
1320 N Highland Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90028

PERFORMANCE DATES:

Thursday, June 9, 2022 @ 7:00 PM
Sunday, June 12, 2022 @ 8:00 PM
Friday, June 17, 2022 @ 9:00 PM
Thursday, June 23rd @ 7:00 PM
Running time: 50 minutes

For Additional Information and Tickets Go To:

http://hff22.co/7523

***

Written by

An award-winning L.A. playwright and rabble-rouser of note who has hoisted glasses with Orson Welles, been arrested on three continents and once beat up Charlie Manson. His first play, "Among the Vipers" was a semi-finalist in the Julie Harris Playwriting Competition and was featured in the Carnegie-Mellon Showcase of New Plays. It was produced at the NPT Theater in Ashland, Oregon and Los Angeles’ celebrated Odyssey Ensemble Theatre. His following play, “The Little Boy Who Loved Monsters” was produced at The Hollywood Actors Theater, where he earned praise from the Los Angeles Times for his “…inordinately creative writing.” The play went on to numerous other productions including Berlin’s The Black Theatre under the direction of Rainer Fassbinder who wrote in his program notes of Kearney, “He is a skilled playwright, but more importantly he is a dangerous one.” Ernest Kearney has worked as literary manager or as dramaturge for among others The Hudson Theater Guild, Nova Diem and the Odyssey Ensemble Theatre, where he still serves on the play selection committee. He has been the recipient of two Dramalogue Awards and a finalist or semi-finalist, three times, in the Julie Harris Playwriting Competition. His work has been performed by Michael Dunn, Sandra Tsing Loh, Jack Colvin and Billy Bob Thornton, and to date, either as playwright or director, he has upwards of a hundred and thirty productions under his belt, including a few at the Bob Baker Marionette Theater as puppeteer. Kearney remains focused on his writing, as well as living happily ever after with his lovely wife Marlene. His stage reviews and social essays can be found at TheTVolution.com and workingauthor.com. Follow him on Facebook.

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